Conquering Challenges: Kicking Cancer with Christ

By Elizabeth C. Jenkins

This book is a daily devotional for anyone who is facing life-changing circumstances, challenges, or crises.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973661368

Elizabeth C. Jenkins

Elizabeth was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer in July 2017. Over a period of 14 months the cancer spread to her hip, lymph nodes, and brain. As a result of these seemingly overwhelming obstacles her spiritual life was transformed into a deeper and more intimate level. During this time she felt a calling to share her journey by writing a daily devotional for anyone who is enduring or questioning a life-changing challenge.

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Copyright © 2019 Elizabeth C. Jenkins.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-6135-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-6137-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-6136-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019905248

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/22/2019

Contents

January 1

January 2

January 3

January 4

January 5

January 6

January 7

January 8

January 9

January 10

January 11

January 12

January 13

January 14

January 15

January 16

January 17

January 18

January 19

January 20

January 21

January 22

January 23

January 24

January 25

January 26

January 27

January 28

January 29

January 30

January 31

February 1

February 2

February 3

February 4

February 5

February 6

February 7

February 8

February 9

February 10

February 11

February 12

February 13

February 14

February 15

February 16

February 17

February 18

February 19

February 20

February 21

February 22

February 23

February 24

February 25

February 26

February 27

February 28

February 29

March 1

March 2

March 3

March 4

March 5

March 6

March 7

March 8

March 9

March 10

March 11

March 12

March 13

March 14

March 15

March 16

March 17

March 18

March 19

March 20

March 21

March 22

March 23

March 24

March 25

March 26

March 27

March 28

March 29

March 30

March 31

April 1

April 2

April 3

April 4

April 5

April 6

April 7

April 8

April 9

April 10

April 11

April 12

April 13

April 14

April 15

April 16

April 17

April 18

April 19

April 20

April 21

April 22

April 23

April 24

April 25

April 26

April 27

April 28

April 29

April 30

May 1

May 2

May 3

May 4

May 5

May 6

May 7

May 8

May 9

May 10

May 11

May 12

May 13

May 14

May 15

May 16

May 17

May 18

May 19

May 20

May 21

May 22

May 23

May 24

May 25

May 26

May 27

May 28

May 29

May 30

May 31

June 1

June 2

June 3

June 4

June 5

June 6

June 7

June 8

June 9

June 10

June 11

June 12

June 13

June 14

June 15

June 16

June 17

June 18

June 19

June 20

June 21

June 22

June 23

June 24

June 25

June 26

June 27

June 28

June 29

June 30

July 1

July 2

July 3

July 4

July 5

July 6

July 7

July 8

July 9

July 10

July 11

July 12

July 13

July 14

July 15

July 16

July 17

July 18

July 19

July 20

July 21

July 22

July 23

July 24

July 25

July 26

July 27

July 28

July 29

July 30

July 31

August 1

August 2

August 3

August 4

August 5

August 6

August 7

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August 10

August 11

August 12

August 13

August 14

August 15

August 16

August 17

August 18

August 19

August 20

August 21

August 22

August 23

August 24

August 25

August 26

August 27

August 28

August 29

August 30

August 31

September 1

September 2

September 3

September 4

September 5

September 6

September 7

September 8

September 9

September 10

September 11

September 12

September 13

September 14

September 15

September 16

September 17

September 18

September 19

September 20

September 21

September 22

September 23

September 24

September 25

September 26

September 27

September 28

September 29

September 30

October 1

October 2

October 3

October 4

October 5

October 6

October 7

October 8

October 9

October 10

October 11

October 12

October 13

October 14

October 15

October 16

October 17

October 18

October 19

October 20

October 21

October 22

October 23

October 24

October 25

October 26

October 27

October 28

October 29

October 30

October 31

November 1

November 2

November 3

November 4

November 5

November 6

November 7

November 8

November 9

November 10

November 11

November 12

November 13

November 14

November 15

November 16

November 17

November 18

November 19

November 20

November 21

November 22

November 23

November 24

November 25

November 26

November 27

November 28

November 29

November 30

December 1

December 2

December 3

December 4

December 5

December 6

December 7

December 8

December 9

December 10

December 11

December 12

December 13

December 14

December 15

December 16

December 17

December 18

December 19

December 20

December 21

December 22

December 23

December 24

December 25

December 26

December 27

December 28

December 29

December 30

December 31

January 1

Tell everyone who is discouraged, Be strong and don’t be afraid! God is coming to your rescue.

—ISAIAH 35:4

I have to admit this is one area I still need to grow in. Does this make me a bad person? I don’t know. I think it makes me an honest person. When I ask is there anything I can do or call me anytime? I mean it, but I hope they don’t ask too much of me.

I ask because I feel in my heart this is what God wants me to do. I am willing. He knows I will do it too. God is coming to my rescue and the other person’s too.

January 2

Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

—LUKE 12:22-26

There was a time in my life I thought, How am I going to pay my bills? How would I take care of my child? What was I going to drive?

I was trapped in a corner. I had no choice but to rely on God. It did work out. The bills were always paid on time. I received a check in the mail and used it to make a down payment on a car. I applied for food stamps. I received a raise at work, and I got off the food stamps. We were always provided with what we needed.

I saw the love of God working through other people. It was a very valuable and concrete message for me. I also realized sometimes I have to go through something for other people to learn lessons too.

January 3

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

—PSALM 27:1

I have experienced fear at a level I didn’t even know possible. I had to face my mortality more than once in my lifetime. Looking back, this was when I had a major shift in my thinking.

It was a time I realized my utter powerlessness, and there was nothing but to believe in God. When I got to this point my fear dissipated. I finally gave up trying to solve the problem, and I turned it over to God. The fear left, and the solution came.

January 4

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

—PSALM 55:22

When I was diagnosed with cancer I wondered, How long would I live? I didn’t want to die. I would miss my children. I was too young to die. Would my kids be alright?

Memories from the past flooded my mind. It was like watching a movie, and I couldn’t put it on pause. I kept hitting rewind and play.

Finally, I’d had enough. I wrote all my cares and worries down and put them in my God box. I could feel myself letting the issues go.

God’s got this!

January 5

Immediately he spoke to them and said, Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.

—MARK 6:50

Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s the ability to walk through the fear in spite of it. I was letting fear rule my life.

I read when Jesus was in the garden, and knew he was going to die. He had tremendous fear. Even though it was a great outcome for all. To me this is a great example of courage.